U.S. Open Trophy (USGAMuseum.com)

Apparently the Chinese Government will go to no end to garner bargaining chips for their diplomatic conversations with the U.S. government.  It is not enough that we already send them the farm every month to settle our balance of trade deficit.  Now they are in to purloining our national treasures as well.

As you can read in an article done by Bernie McGuire for Golf, By Tour Miss, it seems that Rory McIlroy sent the U.S. Open Trophy that has been in his protective custody since June to Shanghai so it could be displayed at a number of the European Tour events as the Race To Dubai goes into it’s final laps.  Apparently there was no one on the other end to sign for the package when it arrived so the Chinese officials impounded it.

In spite of several diplomatic overtures, they have refused to release the trophy.  So we sent in our real junkyard dogs to negotiate, the USGA, who have apparently made little impression on their Chinese counterparts.  Rumor has it the Chinese are demanding a guaranteed 6% return on all long term treasuries they purchase and a relaxation of the Coefficient of Restitution regulations on drivers sold in China in 2012.  Guess the Maoists want to take it deep.

Lesson in this, don’t trust the welfare of your cherished heirlooms to foreigners.

(Click here to read McGuire’s account of Rory’s mishandling of our American treasure)

Bernie McGuire

December, 2011